Former TSA supervisor admits stealing luggage

$20,000 worth of jewelry and other items stolen

By: The Associated Press

10:03 AM, Aug 17, 2010

The TSA is using a brand new $16.4 million dollar in-line explosive detection system at Oakland International Airport which allows checked luggage to be screened much faster than the previous methods. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

SEATTLE - A former supervisor for the federal Transportation Security Administration has pleaded guilty to stealing $20,000 worth of jewelry and other items from checked luggage at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The U.S. Attorney's office in Seattle says 50-year-old Randy Pepper entered the plea Monday at U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Pepper was fired in July 2009 after another TSA worker saw him removing items from checked luggage. Surveillance video confirmed it, and investigators discovered Pepper had pawned the items. Prosecutors say they included gold diamond rings and sterling silver necklaces and earrings.

Pepper faces up to a decade in prison and a $250,000 fine when he's sentenced in November, but he is expected to face a guideline range of closer to six months to one year in prison.

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